Notes:
In an annual “Asian Development Outlook” economic report released by Asian Development Bank (ADB), India’s GDP growth is predicted at 7.4% in FY 18 (2017-18). The report states that the growth rate will continue to expand to 7.6% in the successive year FY 19 (2018-19). India had grown 7.1% in the previous fiscal year FY 2016-17). As per ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada, the reforms like the Goods and Services Tax and the new bankruptcy law will make it easier to do business in India. Apart from this, the 50th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors has started in Yokohama, Tokyo from May 4 to 7, 2017. The theme of the meeting is ‘Building Together the Prosperity of Asia.’

Notes:
According to the latest rating review by the Global rating agency Fitch Ratings has forecast India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth to accelerate to 7.7% in both FY17 and FY18, from 7.1% in FY16. It expects structural reforms to increase growth, along with higher real disposable income supported by implementation of the 7th pay commission recommendations and an average monsoon. Beside this, The agency kept India’s sovereign rating unchanged at ‘BBB-‘, which is the lowest investment grade. It has also retained “stable” outlook for the India’s ratings. The ratings agency has also indicated that its India’s sovereign ratings balance a strong medium-term growth outlook and favourable external balances with a weak fiscal position and difficult business environment.

Notes:
The Sualgiri and Swalgiri communities of Odisha have been notified as Scheduled Castes (SC) after President Pranab Mukherjee gave the nod to the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Act, 2017. Now, the SC category status will entitle these communities to reservation in government jobs and admission in educational institutions, besides some other financial benefits. As per the modified list for Odisha, the “Sabakhia, Sualgiri, Swalgiri” are notified Scheduled Castes. The Constitution empowers the president to specify the scheduled castes in states and union territories in a list of notified scheduled castes. It also allows the list to be modified by Parliament. The new law has also replaced the term Union Territory of Pondicherry to Puducherry in the Constitution (Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964.

Notes:
The world’s highest railway bridge will come up over Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir (J& K), which is expected to be completed in 2019. The bridge will form a crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra and Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramu rail link project. It will be constructed at a cost of around Rs 1,100 crore in hostile terrain, will use over 24,000 tonnes of steel and will rise 359 m above the river bed. It will be designed to withstand wind speeds of upto 260 km per hour, the 1.315 km long engineering marvel” will connect Bakkal (Katra) and Kauri (Srinagar). Once completed, it will surpass the record of the Beipan river Shuibai railway bridge (275 m) in China.

Notes:
Bengaluru FC skipper Sunil Chhetri, who scored seven goals in the 10th edition of the Hero I-League football tournament, has won the most coveted 2017 Hero of the League award. Mohun Bagan’s Debjit Majumder was adjudged the Best goalkeeper award of this season. Apart from this, Bagan’s Anas Edathodika won the ‘Jarnail Singh Best Defender’ of the league award while Alfred Kemah Jaryan of Aizawl FC was adjudged as the Best Midfielder.

Notes:
The 27th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group has started at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland from 1st to 12th of May. During the session, India’s National Report for the UPR-III will be reviewed on May 4, 2017. Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi is leading the Indian delegation. The National Report of India covers areas that were part of the recommendations accepted by India following the UPR-II in 2012. The report also covers areas that India wish to share with member countries as part of the peer review mechanism and in a spirit of cooperative engagement and collaboration that has marked the approach to the issue of human rights.

Notes:
The World Asthma Day (WAD) is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to increase the awareness among public worldwide about the precautions and prevention of the asthma. It is celebrated on annual basis at first Tuesday of May month. It is thought that as many as 300 million people suffer from some form of asthma in the world – and there are 250,000 deaths each year linked to the disease. The 2017 theme is “Better air better breathing”.

Notes:
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress leader, has been appointed as the new chairman of the 21-member Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. He succeeded KV Thomas, whose term ended on April 30, 2017. The Committee on Public Accounts is the oldest Parliamentary committee that examines the accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament for expenditure of Government of India and such other accounts of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies. The committee also examines the Reports of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on various subjects like Civil, Defence, Posts, Railways and Taxation. Besides, the Committee examines the CAG reports on performance appraisals of various centrally sponsored schemes.

Notes:
Rajive Kaul, the Chairman of Nicco group and past president of CII, has been conferred with the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Sungnye Medal of the Republic of Korea for his services rendered as honorary consul general of South Korea in Kolkata. The award was conferred by the acting President and Prime Minister of South Korea Hwang Kyo-ahn at a programme in New Delhi recently.

Notes:
According to the Swachh Survekshan 2017 (or Swachh Bharat survey 2017), Indore city of Madhya Pradesh has bagged the first position in the top ten clean cities of the country. Bhopal has acquired second position, followed by Visakhapatnam, Surat, Mysuru, Tiruchirapally, New Delhi Municipal Council, Navi Mumbai, Vadodara and Chandigarh. The Swachh Survekshan was commissioned in 434 cities which saw the participation of 37 lakh citizens. The criteria and weightages for different components of sanitation related aspects used for the survey were: a) Solid waste management including door-to-door collection, processing, and disposal, ODF (open defecation free) status etc, b) Citizen feedback (30%) and c) Independent observation (25%). The survey was carried out by the Quality Council of India (QCI), which had deployed 421 assessors for on the spot assessment of 17,500 locations in 434 cities and towns.